Your credit report is a snapshot of your financial history. It is an important, independent summary of your financial health that lenders use to determine if and how much they are willing to lend you. Learn more about credit reporting now.

Credit Score

A credit score is an objective summary of the information contained in your credit report at a particular point in time. Learn how your credit score plays a crucial role in major life decisions from auto financing to buying a new home.

Credit Monitoring

Learn more about the importance of credit monitoring. With credit monitoring you can spot identity theft, correct inaccuracies and receive alerts when your credit report changes.

Identity Theft and Fraud

Identity theft is a serious crime that happens more often than you might think. Learn more about how to protect your personal information and find easy tips for preventing identify theft and credit fraud.

Credit Cards

Learn how credit cards affect your credit score. There is a wide range of credit cards available that can help you establish better credit.

Debt and Money Management

Simple ways you can take control of your finances. Read our useful tips for making a budget, reducing your debt and building a brighter financial future.

Mortgage

Financing a home may be the most important investment you make. Learn more about one of the biggest financial decisions of your life.

How to Manage Debt

Creating and sticking to a budget will help your long-term financial health. And this is your first step of debt consolidation. Start listing your income and expenses and then compare the totals. If your total expenses are higher than your total income – you’re spending above your means. If you can’t increase your income quickly to cover your expenses and save for a rainy day, you will need to reduce your spending. Your budgeting goal is to always have income higher than expenses.

Having an emergency fund provides security and peace of mind knowing that you'll have money in your account in the event of job loss, health issues or other unexpected events.

Reduce your debt

Use credit wisely and sparingly. To reduce your debt, build a debt repayment or reduction strategy. Some people suggest that you should aim to repay the debt with the highest interest rates first. Others suggest that you should list all your debts starting from the smallest to largest, and start repaying them, beginning with the smallest and working your way up. That way, you will have some small "wins" early on, which should motivate you to keep going. You should also consider managing the interest rate on your outstanding balances by transferring balances from high interest credit cards to lower interest rate lines of credit. No matter which strategy you use (or consider trying all three), committing to a consistent debt reduction program will improve your financial health.

Credit monitoring services help you secure the credit you’ve worked so hard to build. Think of it like a night watchman, looking out for the presence of unauthorized activity in your credit corridor. It monitors your credit file and alerts you to key changes such as a new account opened in your name or negative information like a late payment reported by one of your creditors. Credit monitoring keeps you informed, helps you stay on track and is a great way to maintain a healthy credit score.

Create an emergency fund

Having an emergency fund provides security and peace of mind knowing that you'll have money in your account in the event of job loss, health issues or other unexpected events. Your goal should be to have enough money in your emergency fund to cover six to eight months of expenses. Start by trying to save 10% from each paycheque.

Prepare for the future

If you want to protect your children and other beneficiaries from future financial hardship, you need a plan. You can start by taking out life insurance, opening a retirement account and, if applicable, creating an education savings plan.

Have fun

Put aside a portion of your income for guilt-free spending. If you sacrifice too much on your mission for good financial health, you risk relapsing and spending the money you've worked so hard to save. Make it a point to treat yourself occasionally. Try opening a "fun fund," an account you use for special weekend trips, nights out with friends or a big-ticket purchase.

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